May 09 2012
The first and second laws of thermodynamics are basically simple, but there's so many consequences that you could spend a lifetime considering even all the ones you encounter every day. A lot of these also require a knowledge of properties of matter (phases, phase transitions, heat capacity, etc.). Here are a few questions to ponder, …
Apr 30 2012
Now we move on to what is by far the most bizarre law of nature. The second law is frequently invoked, but it is by far the least well-understood. We start, as we did with the first law, with the caveman form: If you put two things in contact in some way that are at …
Apr 23 2012
Last time I discussed the fact that the atmosphere's pressure goes down as you go up in altitude. This was because a certain amount of air is compressed by the weight of all the air above it, so the higher you go up, the less squished the gas is, and so the pressure is lower. …
Apr 02 2012
Boats, hot air balloons, helium balloons: all of these things defy gravity. Gravity is pulling down on them, but they don't fall all the way to the ground. If you had a helium balloon on the moon, it would not rise: gravity would prevail and pull the balloon to the ground. That's what gravity does. …
Mar 12 2012
Why is it that the cheesy part of a pizza can burn your mouth, but the crust doesn't? They both came out of the same oven, at the same temperature, but it seems like the cheese has more "heat" (actually internal energy ) stored inside of it. When you put it in your mouth, it …
